Samehada
Samehada (鮫肌, Literally meaning: Shark Skin) is a large sentient sword, comparable in size to the Kubikiribōchō. It is described as "the most terrifying of all the Seven Swordsmen's blades" and even earned the title of "greatsword" (大刀, daitō), further adding to its fearsome reputation. Appearance Though mostly wrapped in bandages, Samehada's construction is atypical in that its actual blade is comprised from a series of downward facing scales running along the entirety of its length until its hilt, at the base of which is a small skull. Samehada grows larger in proportion to the amount of chakra it absorbs, causing its scales to become so long that they ultimately resemble shark fins and its mouth, located at the tip of the blade, to become even more pronounced. Keeping Samehada wrapped in bandages apparently helps to inhibit this growth to a certain extent. Personality Samehada is unique for being a sentient weapon that gains nourishment from the chakra of others and as such, the blade is at its happiest when engorged with chakra that possesses both a distinctive and pleasant flavour. Being capable of conscious thought, Samehada chooses its own user, an exclusive process that has often resulted in it being thought of as notoriously picky. If someone it disapproves of attempts to wield it, spikes protrude from the handle in order to force them to release their grasp, at which point Samehada will make efforts to return to its chosen owner. Abilties As the blade is made up of scales, it inflicts injuries through shredding or shaving what it comes into contact with, rather than just cutting the object in question. This flaying effect is similar to a shark's skin, hence the sword's name. While it ordinarily remains rigid, Samehada's hilt is able to stretch and bend to great extent, allowing the weapon to be used like a flail. To supplement the blade's offensive capabilities, it is able to extend its scales to spikes. It is also able to protrude spikes from its handle. Samehada shares a symbiotic relationship with its wielder. Although it continually consumes the chakra of its owner, its largest meals come from fights, wherein it absorbs the chakra of the opposition instead. Such an ability allows Samehada to literally slice through an opponent's techniques, in spite of whether the chakra has been transformed or not, and even prevent them from being performed by absorbing all of the necessary chakra, before preparations can be completed. This is particularly useful when fighting jinchūriki, as Samehada can quickly deplete their large chakra supplies as well as remove their chakra cloaks, illustrated when Killer B was reduced back to Version 1 after initially being in Version 2 in the anime. B noted that it can near instantly absorb up to six of his tails at once. In fact, although B came into contact with the blade several times in his battle against Kisame, the sword drained nearly all of his chakra, causing the latter to resort solely on Gyūki's. In the anime it was even capable of "eating" a "Version Two" Tailed Beast Ball. However, it seems to be unable to automatically absorb ambient chakra, as in all instances where it has absorbed chakra are when either the opponent had a visible aura around them or when direct physical contact had already been established. The more chakra it absorbs, the larger it can become. Due to its voracious appetite, Samehada is drawn to those with large chakra supplies, allowing it to be used as a quasi-sensor. While the ability to absorb chakra is useful in defeating opponents, it is also beneficial to the user as well. Samehada has the ability to transfer the chakra it has absorbed to the wielder by partially fusing with them, so it can be used to either revitalise the wielders chakra and stamina or instantly heal even fatal injuries. This makes the user of this sword extremely difficult to defeat conventionally. A wielder can take this fusion one step further, by completely merging with Samehada. Doing so causes the user to become much more shark-like in appearance, growing fins and webbed hands that allow him to move through water with considerable ease. The wielder also receives some of Samehada's abilities while in this form, such as being able to extend spikes from his body for offence, and absorbing chakra when others come into direct contact with him, as well as the ability to track chakra and avoid sensors.